SUNDAY: April 28, 2024: IT was a case of one good turn deserves another!
Hawkesbury trainer Marc Chevalier’s Rosehill Gardens victory yesterday with his form mare Everyone’s A Star earned him a stable newcomer – courtesy of today’s Inglis HTBA sale at the Riverside complex at Warwick Farm.
Chevalier prepares Everyone’s A Star for a syndicate headed by Penrith medical practitioner Ulysses Crosson, who bought the now four-year-old mare for $15,000 at the same sale two years ago.
At today’s sale, he paid double that amount to secure a North Pacific filly (the first foal of her dam and city winner Only Mine), who will join Chevalier’s team.
“It was good timing indeed to win a Saturday race yesterday with Everyone’s A Star,” Chevalier said.
“And it was also good timing that I was able to ‘steal’ a Calyx colt (who was Lot 1) for only $4000 before everyone got there.”
Expatriate Frenchman Chevalier has been in Australia for 13 years, and is in only his second full season of training since taking out his licence and choosing Hawkesbury from which to launch his career.
He has done a terrific job with Everyone’s A Star ($11), whose victory in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) was her third from her last four starts.
After stringing two midweek wins together on the Kensington track, the Star Turn mare shot up considerably in class and ran an excellent seventh to Wee Nessy in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 13 during The Championships.
Chevalier had earmarked the Rosehill assignment a while back, and Everyone’s A Star (Tyler Schiller) didn’t let him down, overcoming a wide run to defeat Broadway Bouncer ($8) and Sumo Star ($19).
Her success resulted in Chevalier achieving a personal benchmark, this being his eighth winner so far this season (one more than in the 2022-23 racing year).
Everyone’s A Star was having her 10th start this preparation – a sure indication of her trainer’ skills.
“She goes on the walker two to three days a week, and canters other days,” Chevalier explained.
“I gallop her 800m on the Polytrack on the Tuesday before she is scheduled to race that weekend.
“Whilst ever she continues to race as well as she is at present, we will keep going and there is a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) at the Scone carnival on May 21 which might suit her.”
Chevalier took over Everyone’s A Star’s preparation from her original Wyong trainer Jeff Englebrecht, who gave her three starts before retiring.
But he has retained a share in the mare, and continues to enjoy her success.